Values And Ethics – Differences

Contrary to what is opined by many, “values” and “ethics” do not convey the same meaning. Despite the fact both these terms speak about human behavior, they aren’t the same. There are some differences.

Values:
Let us now focus on some key points that provide a basic understanding of what values are.

• Individual values: These values can be called the set of beliefs/convictions that an individual strongly holds, and which influence their behavior. Values vary between different individuals. This is because they are dependent on some crucial factors such as religion, culture, upbringing, and personal experiences.
• Cultural values: These are the values that are common for all people belonging to a specific group/community. They are primarily derived from the traditions that the particular group/community follows.
• Professional values: Values that people of varied professions need to adhere to come under this. For instance, maintaining confidentiality about a patient’s condition is a value specific to doctors.

Ethics:
Essentially, moral guidelines that regulate the behavior of human beings fall under the purview of “ethics.” Many aspects of ethics have been converted into laws/sets of rules, which are relevant throughout the world.

• Professional ethics: These are various behavioral guidelines that individuals of different professions are expected to follow. We have codes of conduct for many professions, and these are inclusive of the concerned ethics, too.
• Normative ethics and Applied ethics: The objective of normative ethics is to bring out what is morally right and wrong that monitor and control the behavior of people. Likewise, applied ethics stresses the significance of in-depth study of issues that are relevant to the society/country/world. It explains how these issues have to be approached and handled.

It is ethics that enables people to discriminate between the right and wrong. The scope of ethics extends further than various belief systems, and it strives to develop universally applicable standards.

Major differences:
Now, it won’t be inappropriate to take a glance at a few major differences between values and ethics.

• Values are usually personal and specific to individuals, and they tend to vary among people. But, ethics refers to norms and guidelines suitable to be applied to the general population.
• Values are mainly related to the beliefs of an individual. The laws and rules in society are based on ethics, to ensure that there is peace and harmony.
• The values held by a person could change, depending on the experiences they have. But normally, ethics cannot be changed so easily because they are the cornerstones of many laws and rules.

Similarities:
Despite the above variations, we also have some similarities between values and ethics.

• There are numerous instances where the values of an individual strengthen ethical guidelines. Here is an example. When honesty is a value of an individual, they automatically stick to the law/ethical principle forbidding things like deceit and stealing.
• The importance of both values and ethics is on par when it’s a matter of having harmony in society.
• When a professional setup is viewed, the values of an employee make them more committed to the organization’s set of ethical norms.

Individuals have to introspect their values to make sure that they conform to the ethical principles applicable to them. These individuals contribute their bit towards the creation of a society where peaceful co-existence becomes a common thing.